IT Management Slideshow: IT Budgets Remain Stagnant for Many CIOs

66 percent

Two thirds of CIOs and other senior IT managers say their 2010 budget is smaller or equal to that of 2009.

CIOs and other senior tech managers are hardly immune from the impact of the recent recession. Even as economists declare that the recession "officially" ended in 2009, the vast majority of CIOs continue to struggle with shrinking or stagnant budgets, according to a recent survey commissioned by the Society for Information Management (SIM). Business productivity, agility/speed to market, IT-business alignment, IT reliability/efficiency and business process re-engineering all remain top priorities. Many CIOs find themselves challenged to address these needs with shrinking resources. At the same time, leveraging IT to reduce overall business expense is now a top priority. "Although the recession has been declared over this past summer, the economic downturn continues to cause a significant shift in IT priorities," says Jerry Luftman, a former SIM executive vice-president. Luftman is now executive director of graduation-information systems programs and a distinguished professor of information systems at the Stevens Institute of Technology, which conducted the research for SIM. "It is essential to recognize how organizations are leveraging IT during this economic conundrum, as well as preparing for when the economy will improve." On the positive side, survey respondents do anticipate an improving picture in 2011. CIOs, CTOs and senior IT execs from 172 U.S. companies took part in the survey. Here are some of the findings: